Pandamonium - Part 1

Pandas are one of my favourite animals and after making reindeer cakes I really wanted to try making a panda version. I love animals, which a lot of children do too so I thought animal themed cupcakes would be a great idea for a party.

I had a few ideas myself of how to make panda cupcakes such as with Oreos for ears and I also had a browse on the internet to see what else I could find. Turns out they are a popular style of cake to make as I found many different versions, for example on this website:

http://www.birthdaycakes-idea.com/panda-cupcake-ideas-for-birthday-cake.html

Then my Mum borrowed a cupcake recipe book from a friend which had an amazing recipe for how to make them. Here's a bit about the book...

Hello, Cupcake! By Karen Tack & Alan Richardson.

This New York Times Bestseller states it has “Irresistibly playful creations anyone can make”. This is perhaps questionable as the book presents an array of elaborate cupcakes ranging from horse shaped ones to others decorated like roast dinners. To an inexperienced baker the challenges the book presents could be quite scary! However, in the ‘Cupcaking Techniques’ chapter the book gives detailed descriptions and lots of images demonstrating the methods used in the recipes included. So if you are enthusiastic to learn then the book is a good place to start your cupcake making adventure. The recipes are also easy to follow but as the book is American certain suppliers suggested to get the ingredients from are not available in the UK. 

This book is a great source to get many ideas for party cakes that children would love; so as the book states “find a project that tickles your fancy, grab a bag or two of candy, and get ready to put your smile into overdrive. It’s time to get this party started” (1). 

:)

I  too did what they said and got prepared to make panda cupcakes using the 'Pandamonium' recipe which you’ll see the results of in my next post!

Karen Tack & Alan Richardson. Hello, Cupcake! New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.